I Met Her After She Punched Me
by Faiika
Summary: Rated T for now. Was Sora really the only one with tampered memories? The truth, however fanciful, might be closer to home than he ever would have guessed in a million years.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 ** _If I owned Kingdom Hearts, this wouldn't be on a fanfiction website, and Kingdom Hearts III would've come out A LOT SOONER and we wouldn't have had to wait a decade for crying out loud. That's on Square Enix, not me. Also, Dream Drop Distance wouldn't have happened in the first place._**

 **** ** _Also, heads up: this fic's pretty dark. Just saying. Don't like, don't read. I'm talking assassins and big kid language and gore and adult scenarios. Don't say I didn't warn you._**

 **** ** _Enjoy!_**

Rain poured buckets down from hazy gray skies. Lightning rolled lazily from the cloak of dark clouds, and thunder rumbled in lazy succession. The streets were empty aside from the occasional passerby, scurrying home from under their umbrellas and whatever else they could hold over their heads, keeping under cover as much as was possible. It wasn't the worst storm they'd had at Radiant Garden, but it was a dark one, the type that kept even the bubbliest of folks in a solemn mood.

Despite all this, most of the Hallow Bastion Restoration Committee members were out and about. Yuffie was on patrol, but her shift would soon be over, so Leon was spending the time amid the peace and quiet while he still could, conducting research using Cid's computer. There were no lights left on in the room, just the eerie pale glow that illuminated his face as he concentrated on what the display was showing him. There was no sound either, just the clacking of keys as he typed, with the rain drizzling outside the window, accented by the soft echo of thunder in the distance every once in a while. A small pail had been placed in the corner to catch a leak, and occasionally there would be a small plip as a drop joined the others combined to make a small puddle at the bottom.

He almost didn't notice her. Honestly, it was impressive that he did notice her at all, but perhaps that was only because she wanted him to. He whirled suddenly in the chair, his gunblade held before him as he prepared himself for a fight. "What are you doing here?"

She stepped gracefully into the light emitted from the screen, her usual catlike smile looking especially sinister bathed in the pale glow. "It's wonderful to see you too, Leon. How _have_ you been?" her voice was silky and smooth, almost a purr, a voice that fit well with her striking figure. She wore an all-black leather skinsuit, designed to show off her impressive curves, with a plunging neckline and high black stiletto boots. She cocked her hip to the left with a practiced grace and tilted her head slightly, her tall black ponytail sliding flawlessly over her shoulder. Despite its height, Leon could see that it ended well past her thighs.

"What do you want, Charlie?" he growled.

Full ruby lips parted to emit a peal of laughter/ as clear as a bell's. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not here to kill anyone right now. You're my _friend,_ Leon."

"Past experience working with you suggests otherwise."

"Maybe for most people. But in this line of work? I'd say we're _real_ close," she purred. She stepped forward in her smooth manner, but he lifted his gunblade to her eyelevel and she paused. She lifted her hands in front of her, and he could see her blood red immaculate nails filed to a tall rounded point peeking over each finger, like claws on a cat. Or perhaps a panther. "What, don't trust me? I'm _hurt,_ Leon."

"I know better than to let you anywhere within five feet from me. Stay where you are."

Charlie shrugged. "Fair enough." She pulled up a chair from the table and sat down facing him, her legs crossed in a dignified manner. "Don't worry, I'm not here for a client. Think of this like a _social_ visit."

"…A social visit," he echoed skeptically.

"Yes, of course! I mean, it's been, what, twenty years since we last spoke to each other?" She batted her long black lashes at him while flashing him another perfect smile.

His eyes narrowed. "You want something."

Her cherry lips parted, her perfect white teeth flashing in a full beam. "That's what I like about you, Leon. Never one for games. Straight to the point. It's why you're so reliable."

"I'm not patient either. Get to the point."

She sighed dramatically. "Alright, alright, I suppose I will then. Pity. I do love to _reminisce_ with old friends." She leaned forward, fully aware that any normal man would be having a near impossible time struggling to keep their eyes on her face at this point. Leon, of course, had no problem keeping his gaze at eyelevel. "To be honest, I'm looking for someone. My sources say you know him well."

"And who exactly do your sources say that I know?"

She examined her nails in front of her, her lips curved back into her trademark catlike smile. "They say you know the boy with the key," she said softly. Dangerously.

Leon's expression darkened further.

She stood slowly, still inspecting her nails. "You _could_ attempt to lie to me, but I think you and I both know why that won't work. Not with me." Her long lashes blinked and her colorless eyes flickered up to meet his gaze. "You know what I am, after all."

"Do I look intimidated?" he growled.

She chuckled. "Oh, Leon, baby, don't try deluding yourself. Even _you_ know that'll never work. You _know_ what I am. I am _Charlie._ " And suddenly she was inches from his face, his blade ripped from his grasp and clanging to the floor across the room, her clawed hand clasped tight in a vicelike grip around his throat. Thunder rumbled ominously from the distance. She pulled his body closer to hers and grinned seductively, leaning forward. "I was _made_ to be better, even against the likes of you."

The door burst open and Yuffie was there, soaking wet with a hardened gleam in her eye, shuriken at the ready. "Squall!"

Charlie's eyes flashed as she saw the postcard of three triumphant faces at the Olympic Coliseum laying against the dashboard of Cid's computer. She snatched it her other hand and inspected it further with a dark chuckle. "It's all right, Leon, I have what I came here for. Thanks for reminiscing!" her laughter rang high and clear, and with a metallic hum and an electrical spark, her body vanished, leaving nothing but a turquoise smirking afterimage fading into mist.

Leon crashed to his knees, coughing and wheezing, and Yuffie rushed to help him. When he caught his breath, she asked, "Who _was_ that?"

Leon winced slightly, rubbing at his sensitive neck. "No one good," he rasped out.

She pulled him up onto the computer chair, examining his pallid face worriedly. "She was strong. _Scary_ strong. Why was she here? Why'd she attack you?"

"She's looking for Sora." He stared off at the pouring rain outside the window, his teeth set in a scowl. "Let's just hope we find him before she does."


	2. Chapter One - Twenty Years Earlier

**Chapter One**

 ** _Hiro POV_**

 ** _Twenty years earlier_**

It was the first day of calm after a week and a half of stormy weather, and I honestly couldn't tell you who was more relieved for the sunshine – us teens, who'd been cooped up in our houses for what seemed like forever, or our parents, who'd been at their wits end, struggling to keep us indoors and safe, while still having to deal with our sour teenage moods. The moment they could tell the storm had passed, we were scooted out the door and shooed to the docks. My dad took us out with his boat and dropped us off at the island while he went fishing as usual, and no one complained about this arrangement in the slightest.

It was the five of us, just as it had been for a while now: Rei, the competitive son of a politician; Shiro, his younger sister who would follow him everywhere but spoke as often as a palm tree did; Akane, the seventh daughter of a shopkeeper, whose hair was about as fiery red as her temper; Isa, my best friend; and me. Rei had issued the challenge of a race and of course Isa took him up on it, and of course little Shiro just watched silently as Akane whined about the whole thing as usual.

"Why do we have to race _again?_ " Akane protested. "Can't you guys think of a _better_ game to play that doesn't involve showing off how _manly_ you _think_ you are?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "You don't have to be manly. You're faster than me!"

"That's because you don't even _try,_ Hiro," she retorted. "And _so_ not my point."

"You're not gonna win this time, Isa! I'm going to win!" Rei claimed.

Akane huffed haughtily. "I'm gonna sit this one out, guys. No way I'm doing _this_ again."

"Aww, c'mon, Akane, don't say that," said Isa teasingly. "Don't you wanna prove you're better than all of us?"  
"I'm not stooping to your bait. I'm refereeing!"

"What's Shiro gonna do, then?" I asked.

"She can cheer you on," Akane insisted.

We all looked at Shiro, who, as usual, said nothing, and blinked softly behind her platinum bangs. She shrugged, and that was that.

"Whatever," Rei said. "Let's just start the race. I'm gonna beat you, Isa!"

"Not a chance!"

I was perfectly content with laughing along and running behind the others, not even trying to get ahead. I was the mediator, I guess you could say, the peacekeeper of the group, and most often the scorekeeper when the circumstances called for it. It had always been like this, ever since we were little and clumsy and still requiring adult supervision. I joined in the race, but didn't try to get ahead. I was fine with running behind Isa and Rei, Shiro and Akane watching from the sidelines. Despite his boasting, Rei was falling behind Isa, who was always so incredibly fast. Everyone was so happy (no matter how hard Akane refused to admit it), and with the sun shining from above amid fluffy white clouds and a sky so blue it rivaled the crystal ocean, it was easy to wind up in the belief that everything was as it should be: completely and utterly perfect.

Of course, then I tripped and fell off the rickety old bridge that always seemed to lose boards with every year that passed, but if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have noticed the frail, immobile body in the water underneath its leaning beams.

I let out a startled shout, and the others stopped midrace to come running over.

It was the body of a young girl, slight of frame and curled limply into the fetal position, her ragged clothing torn and soaked with sea water. There was sand and a bit of seaweed tangled in her long, brown, bird's nest of wet locks, and her lips were a bluish purplish white. Her closed eyes were bruises against sickly pale flesh.

Akane's hands flew to her mouth with a gasp of horror.

"Is she…?" Rei whispered.

I knelt beside her, the water splashing at the impact of my knees. "H-Hey," I muttered nervously, and reached out to grab her bare shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

A dumb question in hindsight, but I wasn't really concerned about that.

There was no answer, no movement.

"Is she…?" Isa gulped.

Gently, I gave her shoulder a little nudge, as if to wake her from her sleep.

And wake she most certainly did. At that light contact, the girl was suddenly bolting upright with a shrill screech, her right arm swinging, and she punched me in the jaw.

Needless to say, this scared the living daylights right out of all of us, and we all must've jumped at least a foot in the air. I'd been knocked onto my backside in the water, and I rubbed my jaw in pain and shock as I stared up at her.

The girl stumbled to her feet, her legs spread slightly in a defensive stance, as if expecting a fight and preparing to defend herself. She clutched at her side with her left arm, and I could see blood mixed with ocean water running through her fingertips. Her muscles shook, and despite the stance, it was clear that she was barely keeping herself upright. Her eyes were wild with unbridled intensity, and she panted like she'd just been running a marathon. She was sick and wounded, and judging from the amount of blood leaking from her side, mortally injured.

If there was one thing I'd learned from my mother, it was what to do when you come across a sick or mortally wounded animal. She was a veterinarian at a clinic, and there had been plenty of times where she'd spent months helping an injured and traumatized animal. Sadly, the cases of abused or abandoned pets were not unheard of at the mainland, and my mom had made it her personal mission to help each and every one of those creatures in her care. There was a grace and an immeasurable patience she had with those critters, and only for them she used a soft-spoken voice to calm them down.

The look in this girl's eyes was wild and terrified, and I recognized the same look from every single one of those animals my mother had saved. They always recovered, and I made up my mind in that moment that she would too, if it was the last thing I did.

Slowly I held up my hands and assumed a position my mother had taught me to use around those animals. It was a nonthreatening position that meant, 'Look, I won't hurt you, I want to help.' Making sure to move as slowly and subtly as possible, I stood carefully, my palms extended before me in a sign of surrender, of peace. With a soothing, reassuring tone, I spoke softly, "Hey, it's okay. My name is Hiro, and these are my friends. Can you tell me your name?"

The girl just stared, her eyes wild, spooked, and untrusting. I had no way of knowing if she was even able to understand me, let alone if the storm hadn't addled with her brains enough so that she wouldn't be able to comprehend human speech. I stayed in this position, and she stayed staring at me, for what seemed like a decade. Luckily, I'd inherited that same patience from my mother, and luckily the others were smart enough not to make any movements while I kept her eyes trained on me.

As we stayed in this standoff, I found myself strangely engulfed in those brown orbs that stared back at me. Yes, they shone with terror, and whatever horrible trauma she'd probably been through, so they were blown wide and dilated, but I realized that her eyes were probably the biggest and most unusual eyes I'd ever seen. The brown in them was unlike any brown I'd seen on a person, light and rich in hue, almost identical in comparison to that honey colored whiskey Akane's father was so fond of. I found myself wondering if maybe… maybe she was from another world.

"What's your name?" I asked her again, softly, hoping that once we got past the first name basis, she'd calm down enough for us to get help.

But then her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed bonelessly with a splash in the water, as if she was a puppet with her strings cut.

There was a moment of stunned silence.

Akane spoke first, her voice high with hysteria. "What the hell just happened?!"

I quickly moved to pick the girl up from the water. She was alarmingly light in my arms, even for someone of her petite stature, and I could see the nasty gash on her side that was leaking so much blood. "Isa," I said calmly, turning to my best friend, who still looked a bit shaken. "Go get my dad, will you?"


	3. Chapter Two - Kaede

**Chapter Two -**

 _ **Kaede POV**_

When I first heard the news that my little brother had saved a shipwrecked stranger girl from dying, I'd thought it was a joke.

I know, I know, I'm a bad person for thinking that. In my own defense, it had been my best friend Imani who had called me from the hospital, and since I tended to work night shifts, I was asleep when she called me.

"Agh, _Imani_ ," I groaned. "Could you please wait until I get some _sleep_ before you call me about the latest gossip?"

Imani was the type of happy-go-lucky free-spirited person who got her job at the little town hospital because her mother, a CEO, owned the place. Whether it was to get her out of the busy woman's hair, or to get Imani out into the workforce, no one really knew for certain, but Imani was always happy and hyperactive and followed me around like a puppy ever since I stuck up for her once at the hospital cafeteria. I'm not saying she annoys me or anything; I'm a grumpy person by nature, but she likes to talk and I occasionally like to listen. We actually work well together and balance each other out, most of the time. Still, there are times like this when I'd much rather she let me have my solitude when I need it.

"But-wait-you-have-to-hear-this-you'll-never-guess-what-the-bossman-just- _told_ -meeeee!" she squealed dramatically over the phone.

 _She's not gonna let me go back to sleep until she says this, isn't she?_ I thought grumpily, then groaned loudly against my pillow. "Fine. What happened _this_ time?"

"Bossman just said that your little brother just came in the ER with his friends with a half dead girl they found at the island!"

It took me a moment to process that. "Okay, Imani. I want you to be honest here. Who put you up to this?"

"No one did! I promise this isn't some prank! Your brother really _did_ come in with a half-dead girl!"

"It was Simon, wasn't it? Or Lena. I betcha it was Lena."

"This _isn't_ a prank! I'm serious! And the last I heard is that she was really hurt, too. Like, all bleeding from the side and stuff. And they had to carry her in, poor thing. I hope she wasn't out in that storm! All the wind and humidity just _destroys_ my hair. It's awful—"

"Wait, wait, slow down. You're serious?"

"Completely serious."

"My _brother_ is at the ER and he brought a girl they _found_ on the _island_ ," I said, still skeptical. You couldn't make up half the shit the pranksters on the hospital staff cooked up off the top of their heads.

"Yeeeeess! Weren't you _listening?_ They were racing or something and they found her washed up, bleeding and acting like a wild animal. They tried to give Hiro something for his face because it was all swelling because she'd punched him, but he kept refusing. And she was bleeding a lot, too. I heard he and his friend Iwa or Ila or something had to carry her in."

I sat up slowly. "Isa?"

" _That's_ his name! I always forget—"

I passed my hand over my face. If Isa was there, this was no prank. That kid _hated_ hospitals. He'd been there when his grandfather died in one.[M1]

Imani was still talking. "I heard that Rin's the one who's gonna be operating—"

" _RIN is?!_ Fuck it, I'm on my way."

"But—"

I hung up on her and dove to the closet where my scrubs were, tripping over the shoes I'd tossed in just a few hours prior. I was not the most coordinated person in the mornings (hence why I did the night shifts) but I was determined to be at the hospital in the next ten minutes.

They decided to let _Rin_ operate? Who in the hell got away with making _that_ decision? I know the hospital was short on staff and money at times but _Imani_ would be a better candidate for that, and she was the type of person who got distracted at the sight of a butterfly. Rin had some training, yes, but she was _not_ the woman for the job. She was lazy and inexperienced and tended to give up too easily under pressure. And if my brother found this girl, and brought her all the way to the ER, there was no way I was just gonna let an incompetent doctor ruin this girl's chances of survival by some doctor making half-assed decisions.

I shoved my shoes on, stumbled my way to the bathroom and raked my hairbrush through my unkempt hair. When it looked somewhat presentable I shoved my glasses on and grabbed my keys, not even bothering with makeup or brushing my teeth or any other parts of my daily hygiene routine.

I made it in nine minutes, and I marched straight to the bossman's office. He was sitting in front of the computer there, typing and looking stressed. His desk was a mass heap of binders, papers, and random textbooks, and at the very edge, barely balancing with a heavy folder shoved where it had once sat, was the plaque that read, _Doctor Samuel Belman, PhD_ [M2] _._ I squared my shoulders and declared, "I'm going to operate. Not Rin."

The bossman took one look at me and sighed. "Kaede, you know we're short on money right now. Even if I did have the funds to pay you to perform a surgery when you're not even on the clock, Rin's parents are offering us a lot of money to get her started."

"Rin can wait for another opportunity. I'm going to operate."

"And why is that?"

"Because this girl's life is at stake."

"Rin needs real experience at some point, Kaede. You know this."

I huffed with impatience. " _C'mon,_ Bossman, my brother _brought_ this girl _in._ From the _island._ You think I'm just gonna let it slide and have to be the one to tell him that all that work getting her all the way to the _mainland_ was for nothing?"

He blinked in bewilderment. "Did you just call me Bossman?"

I flushed. "Imani's idea, not mine. Don't change the subject!"

He sat back in his office chair, which squeaked a little in protest. "Fine. But this is off the record. You're not getting paid extra for this either, you hear? We don't have the mon—"

"YES! Thanks, Bossman!"

As I skidded out into the hallway to catch Rin, I could faintly hear him chuckle, " _Bossman_. Dear Lord above."


End file.
